The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-11-10
POULTRY

1--WE are pledseu 10 announce 10 the readers OF
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER that we have been so
fortunate as to secure the efficient services of Mr.. r.
H Weathers as Editor Of this Department. He is
one of the best Informed men on this subject in the
south. He desires that all communications and
questions designed for his Department be addressed:
n. c." He will most cheerfully answer all ques-
tons relating to poultry through this column.
Write him.-EDIroR PRoeREssIvE FARMER.)
Poultry is King.
Years ago we used to hear the
Southern boast "cotton is king" very
frequently latterly we have heard
from the West that "wheat is king"
"corn is king" "~silver is king" and
other variations of the same old tune.
We do not wonder that kingship has
been attributed in turn to cotton,
wheat, corn and silver, when we recall
the immense value of each of these
products, the number of men engaged
in their production and the great cap
ital invested. There is something
royal about the appearance of eight or
nine figures, and many a man has re-
GREETED that his bank account was
obliged to be limited bya shorter row
ofnumerals. Let us look at some ofthe
figures taken from the statistics of 1882.
Wheat, S4SS, 900, 900; hay, S436,-
OOO, 900; cotton, $4lO, 600, 900 dairy
products, 1924, OOO, 900. Such num-
bers make the mind dizzy to simply
contemplate them. We do not fully
realize their meaning. Suppose a
man could count one each second, or
sixty a minute, and he should count
for ten hours each day how many
years do you think it would take,
reckoning three hundred working
days for a year, to count the number
of dollars which the wheat crop rep
resents in value ? It would take forty
five years, fifty five days, five hours,
thirty-three minutes and twenty sec
onds. A long laborious life would be
required in counting this sum.
But great as is this number, that
which represents the value Of poultry
products is still greater. In the year
1882 they amounted to the enormous
sum of $3.50, 600, 900. Our counter
would have to work to count up this
sum, ffty-one years, two hundred and
ifty-ive days, five hours thirty-three
minutes and twenty seconds, working
ten hours a day and three hundred
days a year. 1t will be noticed that
the value of the poultry products for
hat year exceeds the value of the
wheat crop by $50, OOO, 900, Of the hay
crop 1874, 600, 900, of the cotton crop
by $3.50, 900, 600, of the dairy products
by $500, 900, 900, or more than double
their value. Great is king wheat,
great is king cotton; but greater still
is king poultry.
Edward Atkinson, than whom there
is no better authority, says that the
value Of the yearly egg product great
ly exceeds the annual output of our
silver mines, and it has been mocking-
ly suggested that eggs should be sub
stituted for silver as a standard of
value than the SO. cent. dollar which
our government is unrighteously
forcing upon the American people.
We have no means at hand of de-
termining the number of persons en-
gagged in keeping poultry, but the
general diffusion of the business in
every town and hamlet of the land
makes it certain that no other occupa-
ton has one-half the number of per-
sons employed in it's prosecution, If
then we regard the numbers employed
in rearing poultry, we must again
proclaim the astounding fact that
poultry is king.
Let us honestly acknowledge the
rightful sovereign of the land and
render a loyal obedience to him by
making our poultry not only superior
in numbers, but in excellence, by i'm
proving and perfecting the various
breeds of fowls we now have, and
having our king of royal blood Danish
the usurping mongrel and place the
thoroughbred upon the throne.
Royalty demands royal blood, that the
king may command the respect as
we'll as the obedience of his subjects.
Poultry is king, and only thorough
bred poultry is worthy of SO vast an
empire and so royal a throne
Poultry World.
Americas dairy interests represent
an investment nearly five times as
much as the entire bank capital OF the
oo,,+rr TIL no pLinr capifa1 Is a little